Method and apparatus for controlling distributed electrical loads

In a programmable system for controlling distributed electrical loads including plural control means, each connected to control a respectively corresponding one of said plural distributed electrical loads, a programmable central controller connected to provide data signals for controlling selected ones of said distributed electrical loads, and a transceiver decoder for coupling said programmable central controller to said plural control means, an improved transceiver decoder comprising:

• means for coupling said transceiver decoder to a common data bus coupled to said central controller;
• means for said transceiver decoder asynchronously communicating to said central controller to permit a plurality of transceiver decoders to be coupled to the common data bus and to permit said transceiver decoder to asynchronously communicate with the central controller without interfering with transmissions of other transceiver decoders;
• means for receiving load control signals from said central controller for controlling particular ones of said control means;
• means for decoding said load control signals and determining the particular control means to be controlled in response thereto;
• means for actuating said particular control means;
• means for indicating which of said particular control means has been actuated;
• and
• means for signalling said central controller, in response to an interrogating signal received therefrom, and indicating which of said particular control means have been actuated.

In a programmable system for controlling distributed electrical loads including plural control means, each connected to control a respectively corresponding one of said plural distributed electrical loads, a programmable central controller connected to provide data signals for controlling selected ones of said distributed electrical loads, and a transceiver decoder for coupling said programmable central controller to said plural control means, an improved transceiver decoder comprising:

• means for receiving load control signals from said central controller for controlling particular ones of said control means;
• means for decoding said load control signals and determining the particular control means to be controlled in response thereto;
• means for actuating said particular control means;
• means for indicating which of said particular control means has been actuated;
• means for signalling said central controller, in response to an interrogating signal received therefrom, and indicating which of said particular control means have been actuated;
• means for coupling to at least one external switch;
• and
• means for signalling said central controller in response to a changed state of said external switch.

In a programmable system for controlling distributed electrical loads including plural control means, each connected to control a respectively corresponding one of said plural distributed electrical loads, a programmable central controller connected to provide data signals for controlling selected ones of said distributed electrical loads, and a transceiver decoder for coupling said programmable central controller to said plural control means, an improved transceiver decoder comprising:

• means for receiving load control signals from said central controller for controlling particular ones of said control means;
• means for decoding said load control signals and determining the particular control means to be controlled in response thereto;
• means for actuating said particular control means;
• means for indicating which of said particular control means has been actuated;
• means for signalling said central controller, in response to an interrogating signal received therefrom, and indicating which of said particular control means have been actuated;
• means for coupling to at least one external sensor;
• and
• means for signalling said central controller and indicating thereto the status of said sensor in response to a signal from said central controller.

A programmable system for controlling plural distributed electrical loads from a remote electrical sensor input, said system comprising:

• plural control means, each connected to control a respectively corresponding one of said plural distributed electrical loads;
• plural remotely located transceiver decoders, each connected to control at least one of said control means in response to received and decoded data signals;
• a programmable central controller connected to provide said data signals to said transceiver decoders;
• and
• at least one remote sensor coupled to at least one of said transceiver decoders,
• said one transceiver decoder being adapted to respond to said sensor and to transmit data to said central controller indicative of a change in a physical parameter detected by said sensor;
• said central controller being adapted to effect control over at least one of said control means in response to said data from the sensor.

A method for use in a programmable system controlling distributed electrical loads including plural relays, each connected to control a respectively corresponding one of said plural distributed electrical loads;

• plural remotely located transceiver decoders connected to control a predetermined subset of said relays in response to received and decoded data signals;
• and a programmable central controller connected to provide said data signals to each of said receiving and decoding circuits via a data link, said method being effective to control a load from a remote electrical switch and comprising the steps of:
• coupling said switch to an input of at least one of said transceiver decoders;
• actuating said switch;
• generating a switch actuation signal within said transceiver decoder and coupling a signal representing said switch actuation onto said data link for transmission to said central controller;
• receiving said signal representing switch actuation at said central controller and thereat determining a sector sub-set of relays to be actuated in accordance with pre-defined data previously entered into said central controller;
• generating a central controller output signal representing such pre-defined desired relay actuation and coupling said output signal onto said data link, said output signal identifying a particular transceiver decoder associated with at least one of said relays of said sub-set of relays to be controlled;
• and
• receiving said output signal at said particular transceiver decoder and generating an actuation signal for activating said at least one relay.

A programmable system including a central controller for controlling plural distributed electrical loads from a remote electrical switch input, said system comprising:

• plural control means, each connected to control a respectively corresponding one of said plural distributed electrical loads,
• plural remotely located transceiver decoders, each connected to control a predetermined subset of said control means in response to received and decoded data signals,
• a programmable central controller connected to provide said data signals to each of said transceiver decoders for controlling said control means,
• at least one of said transceiver decoders including internal data lines coupled to a switchleg input circuit for coupling, in turn, to at least one remote two-state, on-off, electrical switch capable of controllably closing an electrical circuit between at least two terminals,
• said switchleg input circuit being adapted to detect the closing and/or opening of said electrical circuit of said switch and to cause said at least one transceiver decoder to transmit data to said central controller indicative of such switch activation,
• said central controller being adapted to effect control over a programmably changeable sub-set of said control means in response to said changes in condition of said switch.

In a programmable system including a central controller for controlling plural distributed electrical loads from a remote electrical switch, said system including plural control means, each connected to control a respectively corresponding one of said plural distributed electrical loads, plural remotely located transceiver decoders, each connected to control a predetermined sub-set of said control means in response to received and decoded data signals, and a programmable central controller connected to provide said data signals to each of said transceiver decoders for controlling said control means, a method for controlling plural distributed loads comprising the steps of:

• actuating at least one remote two-state, on-off electrical switch capable of controllably closing an electrical circuit between at least two terminals connected to at least one of said transceiver decoders,
• detecting the switch actuation with a transceiver decoder adapted to detect the closing and/or opening of said electrical circuit of said switch,
• transmitting data from the transceiver decoder detecting the switch actuation to said central controller, said data indicative of such change in condition of the switch, and
• effecting control by said central controller via said transceiver decoders of said control means in response to said switch actuation.

In a programmable system including a central controller for controlling plural distributed electrical loads from a remote electrical switch, said system including plural control means, each connected to control a respectively corresponding one of said plural distributed electrical loads, plural remotely located transceiver decoders, each connected to control a predetermined sub-set of said control means in response to received and decoded data signals, and a programmable central controller connected to provide said data signals to each of said transceiver decoders for controlling said control means, said central controller, in the absence of a switch opening or closing, providing data signals to each of said transceiver decoders for controlling said control means in at least one predefined time-dependent sequence, a method for controlling plural distributed loads comprising the steps of:

• actuating at least one remote two-state, on-off electrical switch capable of controllably closing an electrical circuit between at least two terminals connected to at least one of said transceiver decoders,
• detecting the switch actuation with a transceiver decoder adapted to detect the closing and/or opening of said electrical circuit of said switch,
• transmitting data from the transceiver decoder detecting the switch actuation to said central controller, said data indicative of such change in condition of the switch, and
• effecting override control by said central controller over a programmably changeable sub-set of said control means in response to said switch actuation.

A programmable system including a central controller for controlling an electrical load from a central controller and from a remote electrical switch, said system comprising:

• at least one control means connected to control an electrical load;
• at least one transceiver decoder connected to control said control means in response to received and decoded data signals;
• a programmable central controller connected to provide said data signals to said transceiver decoder for controlling said control means;
• and
• at least one remote two-state, on-off electrical switch capable of controllably closing an electrical circuit between at least two terminals connected to said at least one transceiver decoder,
• said at least one transceiver decoder being adapted to detect the closing and/or opening of said electrical circuit of said switch and to transmit data to said central controller indicative of such change in condition of the switch,
• said central controller being adapted to effect control over said control means in response to changes in condition of said switch.

In a programmable system including a central controller for controlling an electrical load from a central controller and from a remote electrical switch, said system including at least one control means connected to control a corresponding electrical load, at least one remotely located transceiver decoder connected to control said control means in response to received and decoded data signals, and a programmable central controller connected to provide said data signals to said transceiver decoder for controlling said control means, a method for controlling the load comprising the steps of:

• actuating at least one remote two-state on-off electrical switch capable of controllably closing an electrical circuit between at least two terminals connected to said at least one transceiver decoder;
• detecting the switch actuation with said transceiver decoder adapted to detect the closing and/or opening of said electrical circuit of said switch;
• transmitting data from the transmitter detecting the switch actuation to said central controller, said data indicative of such change in condition of the switch;
• and
• effecting control by said central controller via said transceiver decoder of said control means in response to said switch actuation.

Apparatus for use in a programmable system controlling distributed electrical loads including plural control means, each connected to control a respectively corresponding one of said plural distributed electrical loads;

• plural remotely located transceiver decoders connected to control a predetermined sub-set of said control means in response to received and decoded data signals;
• and a programmable central controller connected to provide said data signals to each of said receiving and decoding circuits via a data link, said method being effective to control a load from a remote electrical switch, comprising:
• means for coupling said switch to an input of at least one of said transceiver decoders;
• means for actuating said switch;
• means for generating a switch actuation signal within said transceiver decoder and coupling a signal representing said switch actuation onto said data link for transmission to said central controller;
• means for receiving said signal representing switch actuation at said central controller and thereat determining a sub-set of control means to be actuated in accordance with pre-defined data previously entered into said central controller;
• means for generating a central controller output signal representing such pre-defined desired control means actuation and coupling said output signal onto said data link, said output signal identifying a particular transceiver decoder associated with at least one of said control means of said sub-set of relays to be controlled;
• and
• means for receiving said output signal at said particular transceiver decoder and generating an actuation signal for activating said at least one control means.

In a programmable system including a central controller for controlling plural distributed electrical loads from a remote electrical switch input, said system including plural control means, each connected to control a respectively corresponding one of said plural distributed electrical loads, plural remotely located transceiver decoders, each connected to control a predetermined sub-set of said control means in response to received and decoded data signals, a programmable central controller connected to provide said data signals to each of said transceiver decoders via a bi-directional data line and for controlling said control means, at least one of said transceiver decoders including internal data lines coupled to a switchleg input circuit for coupling, in turn, to at least one remote two-state, on-off, electrical switch capable of controllably closing an electrical circuit between at least two terminals, a method for controlling said plural distributed loads from a remote electrical switch comprising the steps of:

• detecting by said switchleg input circuit the closing and/or opening of said electrical circuit of said switch;
• transmitting data from said at least one transceiver decoder to said central controller indicative of such switch activation, and
• effecting control by said central controller over a programmably changeable sub-set of said control means in response to said changes in condition of said switch.